CSI, of course, stands for Crime Scene Investigation, as in the shows CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York (and, for all I know, CSI Peoria by now). One imagines that the shows are well researched. In the Law and Order series, however, it is always CSU (Crime Scene Unit). As these shows take place in New York it follows that either CSI New York is wrong or they are.

I used to work in a recording studio that did voice-overs for film and television and my experience is that the only thing directors care about is making something that is entertaining. These shows have technical advisers, but the director doesn’t necessarily listen to them and writers rarely consult with them before shooting starts. The bottom line is to make it entertaining and bring it in on budget. Facts are only considered if they don’t interfere with those goals. Some directors are the exception, no doubt, but I never met one.

I see two types of disregard for reality in such shows. One is for dramatic purposes. and is forgivable. The computer searches that turn up fingerprint matches in CSI for example. This is not how it happens (or so I am told). But dramatic tension can be created by fudging the procedure.

The second type is just laziness and careless screenwriting. Accuracy doesn’t attract viewers, so no one bothers with it.